[lbo-talk] Karl Kautsky on Christianity

[John Thornton]

Robert Wrubel wrote:
> to John:  I'm not sure I understand the aversion to
> the "historical Jesus" school.  If you strip away all
> the non-contemporary language (probably 90% of the
> Gospels)and all the theology, you come up with one of
> the great social radicals in western history, a
> frighteningly charismatic figure. British writer AN
> Wilson's "biography" of Jesus gives you some of this
> flavor.
> BobW

I'm about as averse to a historic Jesus as I am to a historic Horus or 
Mithra.
We know a great deal about the time the alleged messiah lived.
In antiquity the records from this era that we have are better than most 
no thanks to christians burning histories that refute theirs.
Was there a historic Horus or Mithra?
Is a historic figure necessary for a cult?
We have no real historic evidence for JC in his time except for some 
centuries later weak attempts to insert him into the historical works of 
others.
Christianity was divided into multiple sects early on that disagreed 
with each other on many points including the actual existence of JC.
Even 2nd century christians bitched about other christians making up a 
historic JC.

John Thornton